Hinge and hold open



March 17, 1964 E. R. GIONET HINGE AND HOLD OPEN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 8. 1961 Wis,

INV TOR. nd lf z'oflef AT TO R NEY March 17, 1964 E. R. GIONET 3,124,830

HINGE AND HOLD OPEN Filed March 8, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 6052102117? Grime) ATTORNEY United States Patent Oli ice 3,124,830 Patented Mar. 17, 1964 3,124,830 HINGE AND HOLD OPEN Edmond R. Gionet, Detroit, Mich, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation or Delaware Filed Mar. 8, 1961, Ser. No. 94,351 6 Claims. ((11. 16-140) This invention relates to a hinge and hold open and more particularly to a vehicle body door hinge and multistage hold open.

The hinge and hold open of this invention is of relatively simple construction and provides a multi-stage hold open for releasably holding a vehicle door in a plurality of open positions, including a fully open position. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a male hinge member is pivotally supported within a female hinge member or hinge box, with the male hinge member being secured to the door and the hinge box being secured to the body. The opposite edges of the male hinge member swing relative to and adjacent the walls of the hinge box. One of the walls of the hinge box is provided with a cam edge including a plurality of hold open detent notches. A cam follower in the form of a wobble pin is pivotally supported on the male hinge member adjacent the edge thereof remote from the one wall of the hinge box and extends through the male hinge member outwardly of the other edge thereof so as to be in a position to engage the cam edge and the detent notches under the influence of a tension spring which interconnects the wobble pin and the hinge pintle. The wobble pin is continuously held in engagement with the cam edge or with one of the detent notches during movement of the door between its open and closed positions.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved door hinge and hold open. Another object of this invention is to provide a door hinge and hold open for a pair of pivotally interconnected hinge members which includes a cam follower member extending transversely of one of the hinge members and having one end thereof pivotally mounted on the one hinge member and the other end thereof engageable with cam means on the other hinge member under the action of the biasing means. A more specific object of this invention is to provide an improved door hinge and hold open which includes a pair of pivotally interconnected hinge members, with one hinge member having a pair of spaced Walls receiving the other hinge member therebetween to locate the edge portions of the other hinge member adjacent a respective wall, with one of the walls having a cam edge and with the other hinge member mounting a wobble type cam follower which engages the cam edge under the action of biasing means interconnecting the one hinge member and the wobble type cam follower.

These and other objects of the invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partial sectional view of a vehicle body pillar and a door mounted thereon by a hinge and hold open according to this invention, with the door being shown in closed position;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing the door in open position;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 4-4 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a view of a portion of FIGURE 4 showing a modification.

Referring now particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, a vehicle body support member 10, such as a body pillar, includes an outer wall 12 of multiple thickness metal which is integral with an end wall 14. Wall 12 includes a rabbeted portion 16 adjacent the juncture of this wall with wall 14, with a slot 13 being provided in the rabbeted portion 16 and wall 14 to allow movement of a gooseneck type male hinge member 26 relative thereto. The inner member of walls 12 and 14 provides the inner wall 22 of support member It), with this wall including an embossment 24 receiving the hinge member 20 in the closed position of the door.

A vehicle door 26 includes an outer wall 28, and an end wall 30 located in juxtaposed relationship to the wall 14 in the closed position of the door, as shown in FIG- URE 1, with door 26 further including a laterally extending flange 32 received within the rabbeted portion 16 in the closed position of the door.

The hinge member 20 includes a mounting flange 34 bolted at 36 to the end Wall 30 of door 26. The other end of the hinge member 2%) is pivotally supported on the member 10 by a female hinge member or box 38 of generally U-shaped construction and including a pair of mounting flanges 40 bolted at 42 to the wall 22 of member lit. The upper and lower walls 44- and 46, respectively, of the hinge box are interconnected by spaced Webs 48, with the lower wall 46 further including an extension 5% terminating in a cam edge 52 provided with a pair of hold open notches 54 and 56. The hinge members 20 and 38 are pivotally interconnected by a hinge pintle 58, the lower end of which extends downwardly below the wall 46 of the hinge box for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The hinge member 20 includes a laterally extending rib 60 provided with a generally rectangularly shaped tapered bore 62, as best shown in FIGURE 4. Bore 62 terminates at its upper end in a ball seat 64 which in turn merges into a cylindrically shaped bore 66 provided in the upper end of the rib 66. A wobble pin or cam follower 68 includes a ball shaped head portion 76 which seats on the ball seat 64, and is held in sliding engagement therein by a split ring 72 fitting within an annular groove provided in the wall of bore 66 and engaging the head 70. It can thus be seen that the wobble pin 68 has universal pivotal movement relative to the seat 64 of the hinge member 26 within the confines of the bore 62. The lower end of the pin 68 extends outwardly of the lower edge of the hinge member 20 and is held in engagement with either the cam edge 52 or any one of the detent notches 54 or 56 by a tension spring 74 which interconnects the wobble pin and the hinge pintle 58.

FIGURE 5 shows a slightly modified construction wherein the annular wall of the rib 6t defining the bore 66 is headed over the ball head portion 76? of the wobble pin 68.

When the door 26 is in a closed position, as shown in FIGURE 1, the extending end of the wobble pin 68 is held in sliding engagement with the portion 76 of the cam edge 52 under the action of the spring 74. As the door moves toward open position, the wobble pin 68 moves relative to the edge '76 and into engagement with the detent notch 54 in the partially open position of the door to thereby provide a first-stage hold open. Thereafter, upon further opening movement of the door 26 to its fully open position, as shown in FIGURE 2, the wobble pin 68 moves relative to the portion 73 of the cam edge 52 and into engagement with the detent notch 56 in order to provide a second-stage hold open in the fully open position of the door.

Both the cam edge portions 76 and 75 are slightly arouate about the hinge axis of the hinge members 20' and 38 so that very little force is required to move the wobble pin relative to these portions of the cam edge. However,

it will be noted that more force must be applied in order to cam the wobble pin out of engagement with either the detent notches 54 or 56 and move the pin onto the adjacent respective portions 76 and 78 of the cam edge 52 during closing movement of the door.

Throughout the movement of the door 25 between its open and closed positions, the wobble pin 68 Will pivot relative to the hinge member 20 within the confines of the bore 62. The bore 62 is of sufficient size so that the wobble pin will not engage either arcuate end wall thereof during opening and closing movement of the door although the pin does engage the generally parallel side wall portions of the bore.

Thus, this invention provides a new and improved door hinge and multi-stage hold open.

I claim:

1. A hinge and hold open comprising, in combination, a pair of pivotally interconnected hinge members movable relative to each other between open and closed positions, one of said members including spaced walls receiving said other member therebetween, the edge portion of one of said walls being provided with at least one detent shoulder therein, a detent member located generally transversely of said other hinge member, said detent member being swingably supported adjacent one end thereof on said other of said hinge members for swinging movement in a plane transverse of said hinge members and having the other end thereof engageable with said edge portion and detent shoulder, and means continuously biasing said detent member into engagement with said edge portion.

2. A hinge and hold open comprising, in combination, a pair of pivotally interconnected hinge members movable relative to each other between open and closed positions, one of said members including spaced Walls receiving said other member therebetween, the edge portion of one of said walls being provided with at least one detent shoulder therein, a detent member located generally transversely of said other hinge member, means swingably mounting said detent member adjacent one end thereof on said other of said hinge members for movement therewith and movement relative thereto generally normal to said edge portion in a plane transverse of said hinge members, and means continuously biasing said detent member into engagement with said edge portion.

3. A hinge and hold open comprising, in combination, a pair of pivotally interconnected hinge members movable relative to each other between open and closed positions, one of said members, including spaced walls receiving said other member therebetween, the edge portion of one of said walls being provided with at least one detent shoulder therein, a detent member extending through an opening in said other hinge member transversely thereof, said detent member being swingably supported adjacent one end thereof on said other of said hinge members for swinging movement in a plane transverse of said hinge members and having the other end thereof engageable with said edge portion and detent shoulder, and means continuously biasing said detent member into engagement with said edge portion.

4. A hinge and hold open comprising, in combination, a pair of pivotally interconnected hinge members movable relative to each other between open and closed positions, one of said members including spaced walls receiving said other member therebetween to locate opposite edge portions of said other member adjacent to a respective wall, detent means on one of said walls, a detent member having one end thereof swingably supported on said other member adjacent an edge portion thereof remote from said one wall for swinging movement in a plane transverse of said hinge members and being engageable adjacent the other end thereof with said detent means, and means continuously biasing said detent member into engagement with said detent means.

5. A hinge and hold open comprising, in combination, a pair of pivotally interconnected hinge members movable relative to each other between open and closed positions, one of said members including spaced walls receiving said other member therebetween to locate opposite edge portions of said other member adjacent to a respective wall, detent means on one of said walls, a detent member extending through said other member and having one end thereof swingably supported on said other member adjacent an edge portion thereof remote from said one wall for swinging movement in a plane transverse of said hinge members, said detent member being engageable adjacent the other end thereof with said detent means, and means continuously biasing said detent member into engagement with said detent means.

6. A hinge and held open comprising, in combination, a pair of pivotally interconnected hinge members movable relative to each other between open and closed positions, one of said members including spaced walls receiving said other member therebetween to locate opposite edge portions of said other member adjacent to a respective wall, detent means on one of said walls, said other mem ber including a rectangu-larly shaped tapered bore therethrough opening to said edge portions thereof, a detent rnember located within said here and having one end thereof swingably supported on said other member adjacent the apex end of said bore at the edge portion thereof remote from said one wall for swinging movement in a plane containing the major dimension of said bore, said detent member being of a size substantially equal to the minor dimension of said bore so as to be guided during swinging movement therein, said detent member extending outwardly of said bore at the other end thereof and being engageable with said detent means, and means biasing said detent member into engagement with said detent means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 977,634 Klasing Dec. 6, 1910 1,530,116 Hawkins Mar. 17, 1925 2,707,302 Johnson May 3, 1955 3,065,497 Faber Nov. 27, 1962 

1. A HINGE AND HOLD OPEN COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PAIR OF PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTED HINGE MEMBERS MOVABLE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS INCLUDING SPACED WALLS RECEIVING SAID OTHER MEMBER THEREBETWEEN, THE EDGE PORTION OF ONE OF SAID WALLS BEING PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE DETENT SHOULDER THEREIN, A DETENT MEMBER LOCATED GENERALLY TRANSVERSELY OF SAID OTHER HINGE MEMBER, SAID DETENT MEMBER BEING SWINGABLY SUPPORTED ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF ON SAID OTHER OF SAID HINGE MEMBERS FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT IN A PLANE TRANSVERSE OF SAID HINGE MEMBERS AND HAVING THE OTHER END THEREOF ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID EDGE PORTION AND DETENT SHOULDER, AND MEANS CONTINOUSLY BIASING SAID DETENT MEMBER INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID EDGE PORTION. 